


Someone To Watch Over Me

by novemberhush



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Angst and Feels, But love is stronger than death, Come on, Cute Kids, Established Relationship, Grieving Mike, Harvey kinda ignores that whole 'till death us do part' thing, I had to go there, M/M, Married Marvey, Supernatural Elements, The spectre of Harvey Specter, Yeah I hate me too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 09:40:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6900739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novemberhush/pseuds/novemberhush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Mike Ross agrees to represent a teenage single father fighting to retain custody of his baby girl neither he or his husband Harvey Specter expect to get more family out of the deal, but that's exactly what happens. Until tragedy strikes. But can two adults who care about each other ever really move on? In this world or the next?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Someone To Watch Over Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [writingtoreachyou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingtoreachyou/gifts), [Sairyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sairyn/gifts).



Matt, for that was your father’s name Gramps told you, was an orphan with no surviving family so he grew up in and out of various foster families and group homes. 

In one of these homes he met Sarah, another teen, removed from her abusive family home for her own protection, shunted from one place to another, never fitting in anywhere or with anyone. Until she met Matt. 

No one had ever looked out for her before without wanting something in return, but Matt was different. He stuck up for her, he protected her, he saw her. She fell head over heels for him (how could she not?) and found him already there, waiting just to catch her. And still he didn’t ask for anything, didn’t put any pressure on her, was happy just to be with her. 

But first love is intense, and they were young and desperate, caught up in the throes of all that love. “Are you sure?”, he had asked her breathlessly between kisses growing ever more urgent while hands wandered and clothes found their way to the floor. 

Even now not wanting her to do something she didn’t want to, still worrying about her wellbeing rather than his own gratification. As if that wasn’t just the sexiest thing she’d ever witnessed! “I’m sure,” she’d smiled back. And for the first time in her life she realised it was true. 

Their first time together was tender, loving, innocent even, if you can believe it. The way a first time should be. But once they got that first taste of each other it became like an addiction. They needed more. All the time. Slipping away whenever they could, hurriedly reaching for each other before someone stumbled across them and their secret. 

They were teenagers in love. Horny teenagers. Caught up in a haze of hormones and emotions, but while the heat of the moment may be sweet, it doesn’t always lend itself to good decision making. One day they slipped, ploughing ahead (no pun intended) without using the protection Matt had always insisted on up until then. 

And thank God for that slip or you wouldn’t be here. Gramps was always quick to assure you that although you might not have been planned you were not a mistake and your father never thought of you as such (before adding of course that he’d kill you himself if you ever left yourself open to the dangers of unprotected sex).

As for Sarah, she loved you, because of course she did, but she had been through so much, seen so much, in her short life and she freaked out. It scared her to be responsible for you, for another life. She couldn’t even take care of herself, she thought, so how could she take care of a baby? Not even Matt could convince her she was up to the task. She was too afraid of messing up so she packed a bag, kissed you goodbye and left Matt a note asking him not to hate her. Neither one of you saw her again. 

He looked for her, because of course he did, but she didn’t want to be found. You would be just two weeks shy of your second birthday before he found out what became of her. She turned up in Columbus Park, dead at 17, with a needle in her arm. He held you close to him the night he found out and cried, blaming himself, blaming his love for failing her. The only person in her life who had never failed her, but he couldn’t see it.

But before all that came to pass Matt had other concerns to deal with, namely that at 15 Matt was still technically a child himself and the authorities thought it would be better for you if you were put up for adoption. 

And he thought about it, he did, because he loved you and he knew your welfare had to come before his happiness. But looking at you there in his arms he knew no one would ever go to the lengths he would to protect you and provide for you. So he decided to prove it by fighting to keep you with him, by fighting to be your father.

He went looking for a lawyer to take his case, but no one was interested in helping a penniless, teenage father with holes in his canvas sneakers, a ragged Led Zeppelin t-shirt and a baby in a Ramones onesie.

Until he sat down near a coffee cart just down the street from the office of the last lawyer he had tried and Mike Ross, a lawyer with a heart (and really Matt had started to think there was no such thing) out buying coffee, and maybe a little something extra, for him and his husband, overheard him whispering to you. 

This tiny bundle in his arms that he looked at as if you were his whole world entire, telling you everything was going to be okay, he wasn’t going to let you be taken from him like his parents had been taken from him. If he couldn’t find a lawyer to take the case pro bono then somehow he’d find the money to pay one to take it.

Feeling an immediate kinship with this scrappy orphan who had been dealt a hard hand in life, but who wasn’t giving up, Mike had introduced himself. Explaining he was a lawyer who often handled pro bono work he asked to hear your father’s story. He knew he was taking the case before Matt even got through telling half of it.

When he returned to his firm one hour later and one cup of coffee with a shot of vanilla short (“I hope you didn’t stop off to smoke some of that without me, rookie.”) and told his husband about the new case they were taking, Harvey Specter had shook his head and complained it was already getting in the way of his coffee, but smiled softly and said, “That big heart of yours is gonna get you in trouble one of these days.”

To which Mike just grinned, kissed him on the nose and replied, “Well, it’s a good job I’m married to the best lawyer in New York City then, isn’t it?”

Of course, it didn’t take long for you and Matt to win Harvey’s heart too. Discovering a shared love of ‘Star Trek’ when Matt turned up to their first meeting wearing a t-shirt that said ‘Vulcans do it better’ hadn’t hurt.

“Listen, kid, while I admire your taste in classic television the first thing we need to do if we’re gonna win this thing - and we ARE gonna win this thing - is get you a suit. And some better shoes,” he added, glancing down and catching sight of the sneakers that were more holes than canvas by this stage, making a face as if they personally offended him.  
"Don’t worry, it’s on me,” he said, correctly interpreting the worried look on your father’s face that said he didn’t have the money for those things. If there was one thing Harvey Specter prided himself on it was his ability to read people. (Okay, there were a lot of things Harvey Specter prided himself on, but that was definitely top of the list.)  
"You’re our client, you’re a reflection of us and we can’t have you turning up in court looking like you just spent the week getting stoned at Burning Man. Besides, us Trekkies have to stick together.” 

And didn’t that just earn him an amused, knowing look from his husband.

Later, when your father said he needed to use the restroom and Mike offered to show him the way Matt had turned to Harvey and deposited you in his arms, ignoring his panicked look and protests, somehow knowing this slick man in the sharp suit could be trusted to look after you. (Hey, he was always ready to trust a fellow Trek fan, okay?)

When they returned to find him standing at his window with the impressive view, rocking you gently in his arms, whispering how all this, the greatest city in the world, could be yours one day, Van Morrison playing softly on the turntable and a soppy look on his face as you gurgled up at him, Matt was left in no doubt he could trust this man with both your lives. 

Taking in the look on Mike’s face, the love shining there clear as day, as he watched his husband holding this tiny infant in his strong, sure hands, he knew he could trust him too because he had seen that look on his late parents’ faces and he knew that kind of love only stemmed from the biggest of hearts.

They prepared to take the case to family court and spent a great deal of time with you and your dad. They bought him a suit as promised, Harvey brushing aside Matt’s protests that it was too much, too expensive, then just as quickly dismissing his offer to one day pay him back.

You found yourself the proud owner of an ever growing range of cuddly toys, an impressive collection of ‘Star Trek’ merchandise you were far too young to appreciate yet and a pet name that brought a soft smile only those closest to him knew the meaning of to Harvey’s face every time he heard it, said it or even just thought it. 

Your nights were spent in a group home with your father, but your days were split between one of the top, and supposedly almost impossible to get into, daycare facilities in the city and the Manhattan offices of the city’s best closer and his secret weapon, his husband with the incredible brain. 

Both of them proclaimed loudly to all and sundry it had been their charm and good looks that had swayed the head of that almost impossible to get into top daycare facility into accepting you, but both secretly thought she had taken one look at you, their little Plum, and fallen for you as hard as they had. Well, almost as hard.

Your father found himself with a new wardrobe, a chauffeur driven town car to school every day (“Because if you’re going to provide for your daughter, Matt, you have to have options and getting an education is the best way to ensure you have them. So have both of you outside waiting every morning, get in the goddamn car, and go to school! Mike and I will drop Dani off at daycare on our way to the office.”) and an iPod pre-loaded with several jazz, blues and soul standards.

(“Because your taste in music needs refining, kiddo.” 

“Don’t listen to him, Matt, he was old when I met him and now he’s just an old fart, beginning every sentence with ‘in my day’ or, ‘that’s not music, it’s just noise’.“

“Careful, rookie, not so old I can’t knock you on your ass.” 

“Try it, Harvey, and I’ll sue you for intolerable cruelty and the only thing I’ll demand in the divorce is your limited edition 1974 Captain Kirk doll and signed, framed photo of William Shatner.” 

“How many times do I have to tell you, Mike, it’s not a doll, it’s an action figure! And the only way you’re getting your hands on that photo is by prying it from my cold, dead ones!”

“At your age, that should be any day now.”)

The day of reckoning finally arrived and Matt was worried beyond words. What if they didn’t let him keep you? Not gonna happen, Harvey assured him. He nodded, trusting in Mike and Harvey, but not voicing his other worry. What happened if they DID let him keep you and he couldn’t do it alone? 

He couldn’t expect Mike and Harvey to always be there for you both. They had their own lives to get back to. Sure, they’d been great, and they both doted on you, but they didn’t want some screw-up teenager hanging around forever. 

For an instant he considered asking them if they’d adopt you. He knew they’d be great fathers to you. Like his own had been before he’d been ripped from his life.

But then the moment had passed and they were making their case. The judge was reluctant to give a child up for adoption against the father’s wishes, but she needed to know he could look after this child properly when he was still just a child himself. Was he up to the challenge of being solely responsible for this little girl?

And that’s when Harvey stepped in and surprised them all, not least himself because he had no idea he was going to do this beforehand, at least not consciously, and said, “What if he wasn’t solely responsible for her, Your Honour? What if my husband and I became his legal guardians, and her’s too? That way he wouldn’t have to raise Plu… I mean, Dani alone and they’d both have a stable, loving home. With our help and support Matt could stay in school and have a shot at providing the kind of future he and his daughter deserve.”

Matt looked between Mike and Harvey and couldn’t believe anyone would be willing to do that for him, that anyone could care for him that much. Mike just looked at Harvey with unmistakable pride burning in his eyes and love written all over his face for the whole world to see and said, “I thought you said it’d be my big heart that got us in trouble? Your reputation’s shot to hell after this, Ice Man.” Unable to resist their own private little joke he hummed a few bars of their song, and winked, adding, “I knew you cared.”

Harvey rolled his eyes, but gave Mike that soft smile he reserved only for those he truly loved and turned to fix Matt with the same smile when he realised with a start that he hadn’t discussed any of this with either of them.

Knowing Mike like he did he knew he’d be up for it, but what if Matt wasn’t? Before he could say anything though Matt threw his arms around Harvey, a litany of ‘thank you’s’ spilling from his lips. 

Returning the fierce hug with one of his own before patting Matt’s back and wisecracking, “Okay, kid, you can let go now. Don’t make me have to use the Famous Spock Nerve Pinch on you,” Harvey figured Matt was okay with the idea. He was good at reading people, after all.

Pending a report from Child Services regarding Mike and Harvey’s suitability as legal guardians come foster parents the judge ruled you could stay with your father for now, both continuing to live in the same group home you currently resided in.

Of course, after a succession of home visits, a seemingly endless series of interviews and a background check that had caused Mike to go into meltdown until they discovered everything had stood up to scrutiny but left them wondering if they were just that good at covering their tracks or if Child Services were just that bad at running thorough background checks, Mike and Harvey passed every test with flying colours. 

“It was never in doubt, rookie,” Harvey told Mike, as they slow danced in the living room one night, a few hours after they got the good news. Singing low and throaty in Mike’s ear, “I’m a little lamb who’s lost in the wood, I know I could, always be good, to one who’ll watch over me,” sending shivers down Mike’s spine, but not fooling him for a minute. 

He’d seen the worry and nerves Harvey had been so desperately trying to combat and it only made him love him more, that it meant so much to him, putting their family together. “Are you my little lamb, Mike?”

“Always,” Mike whispered back. And then grinning, “Baaaaaaa!” And Harvey had laughed, long and hard, before taking Mike by the hand and leading him to their bedroom where he did things no shepherd should ever do to his sheep.

So you and Matt officially moved in and after discussing it with Matt first this time they adopted him. He still couldn’t believe his luck.

Three years flew by and none of you had ever been happier, the news of Sarah’s death aside. You and Matt fitted in like you’d always been there. You were a family.

Your dad got into college and his two dads couldn’t have been prouder of him, Harvey boasting to anyone who’d listen how he had his pick of colleges. He decided to go with Columbia so he could stay in New York and the two of you would continue living with Mike and Harvey. 

Matt would still have their support and could focus on his studies, knowing he wasn’t neglecting you. They both hoped knowing you were safe and taken care of might allow him to relax and have some fun as well because he was still only a kid and he deserved it.

The week before college started you all headed to the lakeside cabin you had rented a few times over the last three years, just to be together as a family and enjoy some down time before Matt embarked on this new chapter in his life and things got hectic. 

On the third morning you ran out of milk. Mike had kissed a still sleeping Harvey softly on the forehead, grabbed you from your chair because you loved going for rides in the car and ruffled Matt’s hair where he sat at the kitchen table, yawning and staring at the bowl of dry cereal he had poured out before realising there was no milk. 

Buckling you into your child’s car seat, Mike checked his wallet and then the two of you had headed for the nearest store. With Harvey’s love and own special brand of gentle encouragement (“I know you’re scared, Mike, but you can do this. I know you can. Millions of people get into cars every day and make it home again safely, kid. It’ll be okay, I promise. Now, man the hell up and get over here so I can teach you how to drive stick. Okay, don’t look at me like that. I didn’t mean it that way and you know I didn’t. Although now you bring it up…”) he had conquered his fear of driving years ago.

Settling for frying the last two eggs Mike had said he could have, plus toast and orange juice your father had ate heartily before heading outside. There was a rowboat tied up at the jetty and Matt had always loved taking it out, rowing to the middle of the lake and just sitting there soaking up the tranquility he had so yearned for growing up in, at best, indifferent, at worst, violent, foster homes and group shelters, where peace and privacy had been hard to come by.

But this morning when he settled back to enjoy the cool air and let the ache in his arms from rowing settle (he needed to start hitting the gym more often he thought) he accidentally knocked one of the oars from the oarlock and when he tried to make a grab for it before it disappeared into the lake he rocked the boat too hard and it tipped over. 

Harvey was still inside, awake now, but unable to see or hear Matt’s struggle to stay afloat. Pouring himself a mug of black coffee because there didn’t seem to be any goddamn milk Harvey wondered where everyone was.

Coffee in hand, he strolled outside and saw the car was gone. Probably gone to get milk he thought, putting that big brain of his own to use. Inhaling the sweet air he walked towards his favourite spot to take in the incredible view. And that was when he spotted the upturned boat.

Dropping the coffee mug he started to run towards the lake, bellowing Matt’s name at the top of his lungs, eyes searching desperately for his boy, the only one of them who ever ventured out in that rickety old thing. Getting no response he dived straight in, thinking only of his son.

When he reached the boat, out of breath, unsure if the icy cold gripping him was from the water or the dread of what he might find in it, he couldn’t see Matt. He dived under a few times, but it was so dark he could hardly see his hand in front of his face. And then he spotted him. Making towards him like the devil himself was after him Harvey grabbed him and dragged him above the water.

But it was too late. Your father was gone. All that light and love and potential were gone.

Harvey let out a gut-wrenching scream, the pain in it enough to break even the devil’s heart. Cursing God and himself for letting this happen, he held Matt’s lifeless body to him, sobbing and begging his boy to come back. 

His sobs eventually subsiding Harvey knew he had to get both of them back to shore. He didn’t think he could make the swim back with Matt (not Matt’s body, still Matt he thought, still my son) in his arms so he swam towards the nearby boat. With Matt still cradled under one arm, he tried to turn it right side up. But his hands were cold and wouldn’t work right and the boat was heavier than it looked. It would be easier with two hands, but there was no way he could let Matt go. 

Eventually he got the boat righted and started the arduous task of getting Matt in it, but as his final heave put Matt over the side and back in the boat it caused it to swing unexpectedly and hit Harvey on the head, knocking him unconscious. He slipped under the water, never knowing a thing about it.

When Harvey regained consciousness he was standing beside Matt and there was a bright light ahead of them. It was warm and welcoming and felt like love. Harvey saw his father appear and a couple he instinctively knew were Matt’s birth parents. 

They beckoned to Matt and Harvey to join them in the light and Matt started walking towards them, dazed but knowing it was the right thing to do. Harvey hesitated, however. He could feel the pull, he understood the temptation to just let go of his former life and join his father and son in the afterlife, safe in the knowledge he’d see Mike and you again when your time came.

But that big, protective part of him, that part that had sent him diving into the lake with no thought but for his son’s safety, that part that had been responsible for him speaking up in court that day, offering to take responsibility for this boy and this baby that he had come to think of as his own, wouldn’t let him. It didn’t feel right. He couldn’t stand the thought of him safe and secure in this light while Mike and you were all alone in the world without him to watch over you both.

Seeing that Harvey wasn’t following him Matt turned to him with a questioning look. “I can’t do it, Matt. I can’t leave them, not yet.”

And Matt smiled, understanding that this was who Harvey was, this was the man who’d saved him three years ago and who had tried to do it again today, but Matt knew it was his time to enter the light and that he would see Harvey again, so he simply hugged Harvey and said, “Kiss Mike and Dani for me. Look after them both.”

Harvey promised he would and then he looked at his own father who just nodded his head to let him know he understood. “It’s okay, son, we’ll see each other again. I’m proud of you, Harvey.”

Then the light vanished and Harvey found himself back at the edge of the lake, looking at that goddamn boat drifting out on the lake, Matt’s body on the floor of it. He was wondering what the hell to do next when he heard a car approach.

Mike pulled up and got out, freeing you from your child’s seat and twirling you in the air, both of you laughing and Harvey thought he’d never heard anything so beautiful. Stepping forward he said Mike’s name, but he didn’t respond, didn’t even seem to notice Harvey standing there right in front of him. Harvey spoke his name again, louder this time, but still nothing. Reaching out his hand he touched Mike’s arm, “MIKE!”.

Mike shivered and turned to you, “I think someone just walked over my grave, baby girl.” 

You just giggled, not understanding of course, thinking it was all a game between your two Gramps. Harvey cursed lowly. You giggled again, knowing that was a word you weren’t supposed to say.

Setting you down Mike had gone back to the car to fetch the milk and a few other bits and pieces he had purchased. Immediately you ran towards your other Gramps, arms outstretched, ready to throw them round his legs, just like you did when he got home from work every day. But when you closed your arms around him all you got was an armful of empty air. 

The momentum of the force you had put behind your intended embrace sent you falling forward to the ground. You heard Gramps Harvey cry out and saw him swoop down to try to catch you, try to break your fall, but his arms went right through you, causing you only to shiver. 

Not physically hurt, but not understanding what had just happened, wondering why for the first time ever one of your Gramps hadn’t been there to catch you, your bottom lip starting quivering and you tentatively called out, “Gramps?”, not even sure yourself which Gramps you were calling to. Both maybe.

Mike had turned and seeing you on the ground he unceremoniously dropped the shopping, eggs be damned, and ran to you. Harvey meanwhile had started stroking your hair, just the way you liked, the way that never failed to soothe you, but this time you couldn’t feel the light, comforting weight of his big, warm hand. All you felt was cold and you shivered again. 

Mike reached you and you curled yourself against him, soaking up the warmth coming from his jacket. He now stroked your hair and whispered softly in your ear, asking if you’d hurt yourself. You shook your head, but turned your wide eyes towards your other Gramps again. This time you both knew who your words were directed to. “Gramps? Gramps, why did you let me fall?”

Harvey looked like a man who’d been promised a Heaven and handed a Hell.

“I’m so sorry, Plum. I’m so sorry.”

Mike though thought you were talking to him and apologised as well, the same words his husband had used issuing from his lips, their thoughts so alike even now. 

Taking you by the hand Mike had led you back to the abandoned shopping and gathered it up, assessing the damage and glad to find everything in one piece. He shooed you ahead of him, inside the cabin, calling out for Matt and Harvey as you entered. When he discovered neither of them in the cabin he had gone outside again yelling, “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

And that was when he spotted the boat. It was right side up now, and Harvey knew there was no way he could see Matt’s body, but somehow Mike knew something was wrong. That damned intuition of his, Harvey thought. 

He made to enter the lake but Harvey stepped in front of him. It was useless of course, he walked straight through him. But he shivered again and stopped, turning towards the cabin and thinking of you, knowing he couldn’t leave you alone to go jump in the lake, even if his son and the love of his life were out there somewhere. 

Harvey let out a sigh of relief and for a moment he thought Mike had heard him when he turned and looked him dead in the eye. His heart skipped a beat and the thought flitted across his mind how was that even possible for a dead guy. But he saw no recognition in those blue eyes he loved so well and were now looking through him. There was only sadness and worry. 

So Mike called Search and Rescue and they found the bodies, Matt’s in the boat right where Harvey had left it, and Harvey’s tangled in weeds at the bottom of the lake. It was surreal for Harvey, seeing his own body being lifted into the back of the coroner’s van.

Mike found Harvey’s coffee mug where he had dropped it and suddenly he saw it all so clearly in his mind’s eye, exactly how it must have happened. Matt deciding to take the boat out like he loved to do and getting into trouble. Harvey wandering out with his coffee, no doubt bitching about the lack of milk, going down to the lake to stand at his favourite spot and admire the view.

Harvey seeing the boat and dropping the coffee, calling out to Matt, paying no heed to his own safety as he desperately tried to reach their son, their boy, who’d only been in their lives for three short (wonderful, happy) years but who was theirs nonetheless. 

Their son who they loved, Mike knowing Harvey loved him all the more because he reminded him of Mike with all that heart and potential, Harvey knowing Mike loved him not only because they shared the orphan bond but because he reminded him of Harvey when he saw the ferocious love he had for you, his little girl, saw the lengths he would go to to protect his loved ones. 

Silent tears began to roll down his face and Harvey heard him whisper, “Goddamn it, Harvey, it was supposed to be my big heart that got us in trouble, not yours. What am I supposed to do without you here with me?”

Harvey’s chest ached and he longed to hold Mike in his arms once more, wanted to comfort him and let him know he was still here, but he couldn’t. He turned his face skywards and demanded to know why he was he allowed to return if he couldn’t do anything to help, goddamn it??! 

But he knew he hadn’t been allowed to return. He had chosen to, and there was no power in Heaven or Earth who could have stopped him from making that choice. He, and he alone, was responsible for the situation he now found himself in. He was the architect of his own fate, for good or bad. And hadn’t that always been the way with him? In death as in life, he thought bitterly.

And then you had wandered up to Mike, tugged on his trouser leg and raised your arms, the universal gesture of a child wanting to be lifted. “Gramps, up!”, you demanded, using the words you were learning more of every day.Mike had lifted you and you smiled at him, that smile just like your father’s, patted his cheek and said, “Don’t cry, Gramps. You’re making Other Gramps sad.“

That did it, he was done for. The dam broke inside him and he clutched you to him, the only thing he had left in the world that he still loved, and his silent tears became great, wracking sobs. Harvey felt his heart shatter within him.

The next few days passed in a blur. Mike sat you down and tried to explain that your dad and Other Gramps were gone and never coming back. You laughed, wondering when this strange game of ‘Let’s Pretend’ was going to end and where your dad was hiding.

Harvey was laid to rest beside his father. Matt it was decided would be buried with his birth parents. The funerals were the day after each other. Harvey’s was first. That night Mike came into your room to tuck you in and read you your bedtime story. He had no way of knowing Harvey had already started telling you the tale of ‘The Three Little Pigs’.

“What would you like me to read to you, baby girl?”, Mike had asked, sitting on the side of your bed, the strain and tension of the past few days etched on his face and like a knife to Harvey’s heart. Confused, you looked to your other Gramps seated in the bedside chair.

“Just pick something, Plum, and we’ll finish ‘The Three Little Pigs’ another time,” he murmured. 

Turning to the stack of books by your bed you reached for the brightly-coloured, well worn copy of 'Curious George’, a favourite of yours.

“Not that one, honey,” Harvey said gently. “Your other Gramps isn’t up to that one tonight. Pick another.”

“I don’t want to!”, you huffed, crossing your arms over your chest and pouting.

“Don’t want to what?”, asked Mike. “Pick a story?”

“I want to know what happens to 'The Three Little Pigs’! Other Gramps was telling me that story and I want to know how it ends!”

“I don’t think you have that one, baby girl,” Mike said, searching through the pile of books, very studiously not looking at the 'Curious George’ one, lest he go mad and run amok and they took him away, leaving you all alone in this once bright world, now plunged into darkness to Mike’s eyes, save for your little light.

“Other Gramps didn’t need a book. He just told me it from his head.”

“Oh, did he now? And what did he tell you about 'The Three Little Pigs’ that has you so interested in their story?”

“He told me their names were Dani and Mattie and Mikey and they were the cutest, smartest little pigs you ever saw, but they were all alone in the world and they lived in houses made of straw and sticks that kept collapsing every time a cold wind blew until they met the Big Bad Wolf who secretly wasn’t really bad at all and who was all alone too and he took them all to live with him in his home made of bricks way up in the sky because they were a family now,” you babbled, not pausing to draw breath. Charging on, you continued, “And he said the Big Bad Wolf made it his business to make sure no other REALLY bad Big Bad Wolf ever came to their door ever again. And that’s as far as he got.”

“Wow,” breathed Mike, his voice barely a whisper, his eyes harsh with tears. “I never knew your other Gramps could tell such good stories.”

“But what happens next, Gramps? What happens to the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf?”

Harvey watched Mike steel himself, trying to find the right words to say to this little girl they both loved so much. “Dani, honey, you remember how I told you your daddy and your other Gramps aren’t coming back? You remember that, sweetie?”

You nodded. “Well, you see they’ve gone ahead of us, to an even better home in the sky, with all our other family there too, to get it ready for us. And one day we’re gonna join them there. But not for a long time. In the meantime I’m gonna pick up where your other Gramps, where the Big Bad Wolf who secretly wasn’t bad at all, not in the slightest, not even a little bit, no matter how much he pretended otherwise, left off. I’m gonna become the Big Bad Wolf who's secretly not that bad and no one’s ever gonna hurt you while I’m around.”

Harvey felt his heart swell within him, simultaneously proud of his lost little lamb stepping up to become the shepherd this little girl needed, while aching at the thought of what that might do to this tender-hearted man he loved more than life itself. 

He may have told Mike to toughen up more times than he could remember over the years, but the thought that he might actually do it now, under these circumstances, with no choice but to protect this child made him worry. He couldn’t bear the thought that spark of innocence, that determination to see only the best in people that had always resided in Mike might be snuffed out.

And then you had thrown a tantrum. “Stop it, Gramps! Stop! I don’t wanna play this game anymore! I want Daddy to come back and I want you to talk to Other Gramps again! And I want HIM to tell me what happens to the Three Little Pigs!”

“Dani! Dani, honey, they’re not coming back. I’m sorry, baby, I’m so sorry.”

“Stop lying, Gramps! They’re not gone! Why are you lying?”

“I’m… I’m not lying, baby girl. But it’s gonna be okay. I’ve got you, and I’m never letting you go. Come here, baby, come here.”

Pulling you into his lap he let you cry into his chest until you finally wore yourself out and your sobs that had hammered at his heart quietened. Still whimpering and hiccuping a little you finally dozed off in his arms.

Later you awoke, feeling a coolness run over your scalp. You opened your sleepy eyes to find Harvey stroking your hair, or at least trying to.

“Gramps?”

“Ssh, baby, it’s all right. I just needed to talk to you a minute.” He had paused,not knowing how to say what he had to say, not wanting to have to say it, but knowing there was no choice, not if he wanted you to be okay.

“Plum, you’re not going to see me for a while, honey. I’ll always be around, watching over you, helping you if I can, but you won’t see me anymore. I have to stay back and watch over you from afar."

“What? Why, Gramps?” Your eyes were stinging again with the threat of more tears and he hurried to soothe you.

“Don’t cry, Plum, don’t cry, honey. You’ll make me sad.”

You sucked in a breath and tried to be a big, brave girl and were rewarded with a proud, soft smile.

"That’s my girl, Plum. Listen, baby, when your other Gramps said your Daddy and I had to go away, he wasn’t lying. He can’t see me, baby. Only you can see and hear me. And that’s confusing you. So I have to go. You can’t grow up talking to someone no one else can see. You might get away with it for a few more years, passing me off as your imaginary friend, but eventually people would start wondering, start thinking things that could have bad consequences for you, and I can’t be the cause of that, Plum. So I have to stay out of your sight. But I’ll always be close by. I have to go now, Dani. Goodbye, and think kindly of me from time to time. Take care of your other Gramps for me. He’s going to need you now, baby.”

“No, Gramps! Don’t go!”, you pleaded, but your eyes were already closing.

You heard him say, “Goodbye, Plum, goodbye. We’ll see each other again. I’ll always be watching over you, honey.” You felt something cold brush against your forehead and knew he had kissed you.

The next morning Mike had woken you and you attended your father’s funeral and you didn’t see Harvey all day. Or the next. Or the next. Eventually it sank in that you never would again. That he and your father were gone and they really weren’t coming back again. 

And life went on. You grew up, fine and strong. You forgot the other man you had once also called Gramps. (They had tried to get you to give them both different names, but stubborn as a mule, you held fast to calling them both Gramps.)

Oh, sure, there were photos everywhere and Mike loved to tell you about him, but still you had been only a child when he died and slowly you forgot the real man. 

The man who smelled of spicy cologne and expensive hair gel, who didn’t mind when you spit up on his favourite suit because you smiled at him after and he was a sucker for that smile, it always triggering one of his own, making the skin at the side of his eyes crinkle and his eyes themselves go soft as melted chocolate. The man who tried to teach you how to do the Vulcan salute before you were even old enough to walk, much to Mike’s amusement. 

The man who found he didn’t mind being called 'Gramps’ (except maybe when Mike did it!) because it didn’t make him feel old, it made him feel needed and loved, it made him feel like he had a real family again, one he’d do anything to protect and was determined not to screw up. It made him feel proud. And you forgot him.

But Mike didn’t. You and Gramps had each other and although you encouraged him to date again he never did. Who could live up to Harvey? Who could ever love him like he had?

It hurt you to think of him alone, but he insisted he had his memories and you and that was enough and when you still weren’t convinced he quoted movies at you. The one that cropped up the most was a chick flick of all things, 'Steel Magnolias’.

“I’d rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special,” he’d say, before adding, “Harvey was my thirty minutes, Dani. Anyone else would just be nothing special. And that wouldn’t be fair to them or me. You’re all I need to be happy now, baby girl.”

And so it went. Mike hadn’t been able to stand being in the condo anymore so he sold it and bought a house in the suburbs for you both. You took all the records your other Gramps had owned with you when you left. All but the one with 'Someone to Watch Over Me’ on it. Mike had put it on the night after your father’s funeral and before it had even finished he’d grabbed it from the turntable and hurled it against the wall, smashing it to pieces before sinking to the ground, dissolving into tears and a bottle of Harvey’s best Scotch. 

You found him still lying there the next day, and he woke up to find you curled around him, your arms wrapped around his neck and your head laid against his, and he vowed you’d never see him in this state again. He kept his word.

You started college (Columbia, just like your dad) and Gramps retired from the law firm, the law firm he had been sure would let him go when Harvey died, but who had surprised him, everyone rallying round you both and the name partners who knew his secret assuring him his job was safe. He had cut back on his hours though because raising you was his top priority now.

You secretly hoped he still might meet someone else, but it didn’t happen. You did, however, falling fast and hard for a redhead from Arkansas. It didn’t last, but first loves aren’t always meant to.

You cried on Gramps’ shoulder and he told you it would all be all right. Out of the corner of your eye you thought you saw someone, but when you turned to look there was no one there.  
But still, as you told Gramps you’d never find someone to love you and he tried to assure you otherwise, you thought you heard someone softly crooning, 'You Can’t Hurry Love’ in your ear. 

You shook your head and dismissed the notion, just like you dismissed it when you were eight years old in the park one day and that strange man had asked if you wanted to go see his puppy and you thought you heard someone singing, 'Hungry Like the Wolf’ before shouting "RUN!". And run you had, your little legs carrying you as fast as they could, shouting for Mike as loud as you could despite the burning in your lungs.

Just as you'd dismissed it when your high school boyfriend got drunk and tried to persuade you to let him drive you home and you heard 'Baby Don’t You Do It’ echo in your mind. You had said no and he had drove off and straight into an accident. He was fine, but the passenger side of the car had been a mess. You shuddered at your narrow escape.

Just as you had shuddered when you walked into your best friend’s kitchen one day to find her mother on the floor, a victim of electrocution, and rushed to help before checking she wasn’t still in contact with what had caused the accident in the first place. 

You had been about to touch her when you thought you heard, “Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!”, and stopped yourself just in time. Luckily. She was still holding the frayed cord in her hand and all that raw power would have passed through her body and straight into yours.

And then one night you woke up, thinking you heard someone calling your name, the voice hoarse and unsure, as if it hadn’t been used in a long time. There was a smell that seemed vaguely familiar, warm and spicy, expensive, but you couldn’t quite place it. Cologne, maybe, but not the fresh, clean scent Gramps always wore.

You turned to switch on the bedside lamp and jumped when you saw the figure of a man standing nearby. You hadn’t turned the light on yet, but you knew it wasn’t Gramps. Clutching your quilt tight around you you shouted, “Who are you?? What do you want??”

This seemed to startle the man in turn and he took a step forward, stopping again when he saw you shrink further back in the bed.

“You… you can see me, Dani? And hear me?”

“Of course I can! You’re standing two feet away! In my bedroom, in the middle of the night! Who are you?? What are you doing here?? And how the hell do you know my name??!”

And then an awful thought struck you.

“Gramps!”

And again the man seemed thrown by the word. What the hell kind of intruder was he??

“Did you hurt my Gramps?? If you did, I swear to God I'mma get medieval on your ass!”

And then the strangest thing happened. This stranger by your bedside laughed! He actually laughed! A low, deep chuckle that warmed you even as you knew you should be scared of a strange, laughing lunatic in your room at the dead of night.

“'Pulp Fiction’, huh? Well, I’m glad Mike wasn’t wasting his time introducing you to the classics. It always was his favourite Tarantino movie. 'Course I always preferred 'Reservoir Dogs’ myself.”

Mike? Dani? So he knew both your names (and your Gramps' movie preferences it seemed), this stranger with the warm cologne and even warmer laugh. How? Who was he? And then he seemed to remember why he was there and turned deadly serious, frightening you again.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Dani. I’d never hurt you or Mike, I promise. But I need you to listen to me now. There’s a fire in the basement. I think the electrics shorted out. It’s still small at the minute, but you need to get out of bed and get Mike and get the hell out of this house. Do you understand me?”

You look at him, uncomprehending, and he draws himself up to his full height and says, “Dani! You have to go now, do you hear me?? You have to get Mike and get out! Damn it, Dani, GET OUT OF THE GODDAMN BED AND GO GET YOUR OTHER GRAMPS BEFORE HE ENDS UP DEAD TOO!!”, and he’s shouting by the end, but you’re not afraid of him anymore. 

You can’t explain it but somehow he makes you feel safe, this stranger who’s face you still haven’t seen properly because it’s dark in your room. And you know there’s something strange about what he just said, but at the minute your mind is refusing to tell you what it is.

He’s obviously worried he’s scared you again because he huffs out a breath and curses to himself, running his hand through his hair, and then in a coaxing voice, like you’d use with a child, he says, “Please, Plum, I need you to be all right, I need you to go get your Gramps and get out of here before the fire spreads or the smoke overwhelms you.” 

And, yes, you can definitely smell smoke now. He’s right, there is a fire somewhere in the house! Wait a minute… Plum? No, you can’t think about it now.

You finally gather your wits about you and leap from the bed, watching him slink away to the corner of the room as you do.

“What about you,” you ask, suddenly aware you want him with you, “aren’t you coming?”

He nods his head and says, “Lead on, Macduff,” and you fight the irrational impulse to tell him that’s actually a misquote. Now is not the time or place, Dani, you think to yourself.

From behind you you hear the low chuckle again and he says, “I can practically hear you mentally correcting me, Plum. I know it’s a misquote, but like they say in 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’, “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Or in this case, quote it.“

There was that pet name again, 'Plum’. So he was a 'Star Trek’ fan then. And a movie fan judging from the quotes and what he’d said earlier. You found yourself wondering how old he was. He and Gramps had a lot in common… 

Wait, what were you thinking?? Hook Gramps up with some guy who breaks into your house in the middle of the night (how else had he known the basement was on fire?) just because he smells good and likes 'Star Trek’ and can quote a few movies?? That was insane! 

Ted Bundy could have smelled like Heaven itself and been able to name every 'Star Trek’ episode in order and give the IMDb quotes section a run for its money, but that didn’t mean you set him up with your aging, vulnerable grandfather because you feared he was lonely!

Mentally shaking your head to clear it of all these crazy thoughts you raced to Mike’s room and woke him up. “Dani? What is it?”, he said. “What’s wrong, baby girl?” 

“We have to get out, Gramps! There’s a fire! The basement’s on fire!”

He looked at you, shocked, before reality caught up to him and he took your hand and got up, his other hand instinctively grabbing the two pictures on the nightstand beside the bed. 

One, a picture of him and your other Gramps (something jarred in your mind as you thought that. “Your other Gramps”, that’s what the mysterious stranger had said) on their wedding day, gorgeous in bespoke suits, happiness shining for all to see, the other the day they had first brought you and Matt home for good, the day you all became a family, again the joy palpable.

Running down the stairs you suddenly realised Mr. Mysterio wasn’t with you. “Wait, Gramps! He’s not with us! We have to go back for him!”

“Back for who?”, he asked, confusion evident on his face.

“For…. Damn it, I didn’t get his name! But he was the one who woke me up, told me about the fire, told me we had to get out. We can’t just leave him here!”

And then you saw him, below you in the hall, gesturing for you to hurry, and you breathed a sigh of relief, wondering briefly how he’d beat you down stairs but glad he had, and smiled. “It’s okay, Gramps. There he is. We can go now.”

Mike followed your line of sight, but saw no one. However, there was smoke billowing from the kitchen, where the door to the basement was so he wasted no time asking questions, but dragged you out of there as fast as he could.

Once outside you realised you’d both left your cellphones inside. Not wanting to risk going back in the house Gramps ran next door to raise the alarm and call the fire brigade.

It was then you saw your mysterious saviour again, hanging back, hiding almost, in the shadow of the tree in the front yard you used to love climbing as a kid, much to Gramps’ chagrin.

As you approached him he seemed to slip further into shadow. So he didn’t want you to see his face. Well, you could take a hint. You stopped a few feet away, giving him his cover, but close enough to converse. 

“I’m guessing you’re hiding your face because you don’t want me identifying you to the police when they come asking about our friendly neighbourhood burglar. I assume it’s pointless to ask your name as well?”

“I’m not a burglar, Dani. I’m not a thief.”

“Then what are you then?”

“I’m just a shepherd looking out for his lost little lamb. I would say two lambs, but after you went all Marsellus Wallace on me back there I don’t think you need any looking out for.”

“Damn skippy.“

And there was that laugh again, sweet and low, making you feel safe, like you’d just been tucked up in bed by a pair of loving hands, and weren’t currently standing on your front lawn in the middle of the night in your favourite 'Hello Kitty’ pyjamas with your house on fire.

“Yes, Plum, I think you’re going to be okay. That redhead really missed out.”

“How did you know about that?? Have you been spying on me?? Dude, that’s just creepy!”

“Don’t call me 'dude’. And, no, I haven’t been spying on you. Well, not 'spying’ per se…”

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?! Either you have or you haven’t…”

“Dani, who are you talking to, honey?”

You’d been so caught up in conversation with the good shepherd slash home invader slash guardian angel slash Peeping Tom that you hadn’t noticed Gramps returning from the neighbours’ house.

“What do you mean, Gramps? I’m talking to the guy.” You pointed at the figure under the tree. Gramps looked all around, but then fixed his eyes on yours and said softly, “There’s nobody there, baby girl. Did you hit your head at all when you were coming to wake me?”

You laughed, thinking you better make an appointment for him with the optician first thing Monday morning. “I’m not concussed, Gramps! He’s right there! Oh, we are definitely getting you glasses!”

Again he looked to where you pointed, the look on his face starting to worry you. He really couldn’t see anyone there! “Gramps! You can see me, right? And the house? The tree? Did YOU hit your head?”

“It’s no good, Plum. He can’t see me. He hasn’t been able to see me for years,” the stranger who no longer felt like a stranger said sadly.

“What do you mean, he hasn’t been able to see you for years? Look, man, you’re gonna have to give me something here. It’s obvious you know us, but how? What’s your connection to us, dude? Sorry, I know, don’t call you dude!”, you said, raising your hands in a placating gesture, but suddenly Gramps’ head had whipped up to look at you, a strange expression shadowing his face.

“What did you just say?”

“I told him he’d have to give me something to go on, tell us how he knows so much about us.”

“No, what was the dude part?”

“Oh. I called him it earlier and he told me not to call him dude.”

“And what makes you think he knows us, Dani?”

“Well, he knew both our names, and that you’d introduced me to all the classic movies. He knew 'Pulp Fiction’ was your favourite Tarantino flick, but he said he preferred 'Reservoir Dogs’. What is it Gramps? You don’t look well. Did you inhale any of that smoke?” Your grandfather had visibly paled before your eyes.

“No, no, I’m fine. Go on, what else did he say?”

“Well, not much. We quoted a few movies. He seems to know a lot about them. He was mostly trying to assure me he wasn’t there to hurt us, but to get us out of the house safe. It’s funny…”

“What?”

“Well, after the initial shock of waking up and finding a strange man in my room had worn off I felt, I don’t know how to explain it, I felt safe. Loved even. There was something so familiar about him, but I can’t explain it.”

You turned to look at the figure, still shrouded in darkness underneath the tree, and you smiled at him and somehow you knew he was smiling back, and that the skin at the sides of his eyes had crinkled and that his eyes were the softest, warmest brown you’ve ever seen. How could you know that?!

“'Star Trek’! He’s a Trekkie! He called me 'Plum’, just like when Kirk was teasing Bones in that episode… what was it called, Gramps?”

“'The Man Trap’,” the two men say in unison, and you laughed, looking from one to the other. “You’ll be finishing each other’s sentences next!”

You were teasing of course, but the man under the tree said, “I swear there were times it felt like we finished each other’s thoughts. I’d be thinking about getting coffee and he’d appear with one. I’d decide I wanted a certain file and he’d already be handing it to me. I’d be missing my dad and he’d put his arms around me, kiss me and tell me he’d be proud of me. All without me having to say a goddamn word.”

“Just like he didn’t need to say a word when he was thinking about his parents or missing his grandmother or worrying about being caught. I just knew. And I’d take him to Atlantic City for the weekend, or I’d get high with him, or I’d just hold him close and tell him everything was going to be all right. And then that goddamn boat went and made a liar out of me.”

You were trying to process all this, trying to understand what he was saying, what it all meant, wondering why your Gramps looked like he’d seen a ghost, when the fire brigade finally arrived. It seemed an eternity since Gramps went to call them, since this man woke you from your sleep to tell you your house was on fire, but in reality it was only minutes.

They were quick and efficient and the fire was soon out. The basement was a mess, but the rest of the house was virtually unscathed except for some smoke and water damage in the kitchen. The fire chief told you you it wasn’t safe to return to the house until the basement had been assessed for structural damage. 

Paramedics checked you and Gramps over, but you both felt fine and signed a waiver, refusing to go to the hospital. The neighbours offered to put you up for the night. 

No one spoke to the man under the tree.

You looked at him, about to ask if he had somewhere to go, but before you could speak he told you it was okay, he’d be around but not to say anything to him when other people were there, other than Mike. 

You wanted to ask why, but before you could he said, “The first rule of Fight Club is…”, and you smiled and nodded almost imperceptibly at him, but Mike saw it and there was that strange look on his face again. He said nothing though. At least until you were alone in the bedroom once belonging to your neighbours’ twins who had long since flown the nest. 

“You said he called you 'Plum’,” Gramps said out of nowhere, making you jump. “Do you remember anyone else ever calling you that?”

“No,” you replied, truthfully. “And yet…”

“And yet, what?”

“And yet, it seemed familiar. Everything about him seemed familiar. From the way he spoke to the words he used to the way he smelled.”

“How did he smell?”

“Great, actually. Fantastic, even. Warm. Spicy. Expensive. Safe.”

You mentally facepalmed yourself at your own words. “I don’t know how anyone smells 'safe’, but he did. I don’t expect you to get it.”

“Oh, I get it all right. I knew someone who smelled safe once.”

“You did?”

“Uh-huh. He smelled all those other things too. And he could quote movies all day long. And he hated being called dude, but he loved 'Star Trek’…”

“Well, Captain Kirk is the man,” the stranger’s voice suddenly said and you turned and saw him at the foot of your bed. 

“And he called you 'Plum’… Dani, what’s the matter? What it is?”, Mike said, noticing you staring off into apparently empty space.

“He’s here again, Gramps. At the end of my bed.”

Turning back to the figure you said, “Looking for your lost little lamb again, shepherd?”

And Gramps let out a sort of strangled, anguished sob.

“What’s wrong?”

His voice wavering, he surprised you by starting to sing softly, "Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb?"

Swallowing audibly, he went on, "There's a someone I'm longin' to see, I hope that he, turns out to be, someone who'll watch over me."

Swallowing again, gripping his hands tight around his arms, "I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood, I know I could, always be good, to one who'll watch over me." 

Unable to continue he broke off with a choked sob. Sucking in huge, heaving breaths he finally got out, "It was our song, Dani. It was even the first dance at our wedding. It’s him. It’s Harvey. It’s your other Gramps.”

The certainty in his voice was like none you’d ever heard before, but you knew it wasn’t misplaced. You knew he was right. You knew it was your other Gramps, this mystery man, this spirit. You’d always known.

He slowly came towards you like you were a skittish animal and he was afraid to startle you, but you weren’t afraid. You had nothing to fear from either of your Gramps. You knew that deep in your bones. It was just a fact.

He sat at the edge of your bed, his face visible at last and you smiled up at him, that smile he was still a sucker for, and he smiled back, his eyes soft and crinkly, just as you knew they would be.

“I… I can smell him!", Gramps suddenly burst out. "I can smell his cologne! Harvey! Harvey, why won’t you show yourself to me??”

Gramps was sobbing openly now, unable to keep the emotion locked up any longer, and you wanted to weep with him, for him, for all the pain he had been carrying around for years, but always shielded you from.

Your other Gramps looked like his heart was breaking too. He got up and went to Mike’s side, reaching out to stroke his hair. 

Mike gasped. “I felt that! I felt you! Oh, let me see you, Harvey, please! Speak to me! Do something, goddamn it!”

“I’m trying, rookie, I’ve been trying for years, but I can’t seem to get through to you. Tonight when Dani saw and heard me was the first time anyone’s been aware of my presence for more than a few seconds at a time since shortly after I died."

Turning to look at you, he explained, "I stayed out of Dani's sight at first so as not to confuse or scare her, but as time went on and she grew older she stopped seeing me even when I appeared right in front of her to try to stop her making a mistake. I guess children are more sensitive to these things, but lose that sensitivity as they grow up."

“But… but, all those years!", you said, horrified to think of him wandering the Earth all this time with no one acknowledging his existence.

“I know. I’ve been watching over you both all this time, trying to make my presence felt when you needed me, but as time went on and you grew up, nothing seemed to work. I think you sensed me nearby a few times, Plum, but only ever fleetingly, and even then I couldn’t be sure if you were listening to me or your own innate sense. I don’t know why tonight was different. I just knew I had to get you both out of that house.”

“What’s he saying, Dani? Why won’t he speak to me? Why won’t he let me see him?” Mike sounded on the verge of hysteria.

“He wants to, Gramps, but he has no control over it. He’s been watching over us ever since the accident, trying to communicate with us.”

“He’s been here, all this time?”

“Yeah, and I’m getting pretty damn tired of hearing that 'Steel Magnolias’ line, rookie. I knew you were a sap, but really? Come on!”

You burst out laughing and Mike asked you what was so funny. You told him and you could have sworn he blushed as he ducked his head down and smiled shyly. “Yeah, that sounds like Harvey all right.”

His breath caught in his throat as Harvey placed a soft kiss on the top of his head and you knew he had felt it.

“Jeez, get a room, you two,” you joked, hoping to lighten the mood, and they both laughed at you, before Mike quickly cut off, saying he could hear Harvey laughing!

“Tell him I love him,” Mike said abruptly. Harvey smiled and you rolled your eyes.

“He can hear you, Gramps, you’re the one with the hearing problem! Tell him yourself!”

“I love you, Harvey.”

“Tell him I love him too. No, wait… Tell him…tell him I said 'ditto’.”

You laughed and rolled your eyes again. “Oh you did not just go there!”

“What?? Go where?? Where did he go, Dani??” The panic in Mike's voice cut you to the quick.

“It's okay, Gramps, he's not going anywhere. I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but he said to tell you 'ditto’!”

You cracked up laughing, thinking how could these two adorable dorks be your family.

“He… 'ditto’?? He said ' _ditto_ '?? You said ' _ditto_ ’?! You’re seriously quoting 'Ghost’ to me right now??!”

Mike was addressing the room, not sure where to focus, but choking back laughter too. 

“Seems appropriate.”

“I can’t believe I ever married you!”

“Neither can I, rookie, neither can I.”

"Well, you did ask so nicely, it was kinda hard to say no.”

“I’m pretty awesome.”

“Oh yeah, that’s definitely you talking, modest to the end!”

And then they both stopped talking, realising what you already had. Mike could hear him speaking now too!

In a rush they both started talking over one another. 

“I’ve missed you so much, Harvey!”

“I know, Mike, I know! I love you, I love you. I never thought I’d get to say those words to you again.”

“I never thought I’d get to hear you say them again! Not until my time was up anyway.”

You felt like you shouldn’t be a party to this, that this should be their private moment, but where could you go, what could you do?

“Why didn’t you ever move on, Mike? Find someone else to love?”

“Find someone else to love? After you? What we had was once in a lifetime, Harvey. Don’t you know that?”

“But still. I didn’t want you to be alone forever. You should have moved on.”

“Okay, one, am I really getting a lecture right now on 'not moving on' from Casper the Friendly Ghost here?? And two, don’t even try to pretend you wouldn’t have been off the charts jealous of anyone I 'moved on’ with, Swayze!”

Harvey didn’t deny it. “I guess two adults who care about each other don’t move on at all.”

“I guess not.”

And then you heard Harvey say, “You did good, rookie. Raising Plum.”

“She’s her father’s daughter. It wasn’t hard. Besides, she’s what’s kept me going all these years.”

You blush, but feel pride bloom in your chest. But the mention of your father raises a question in Mike.

“What about Matt? Is he here too?”

“No,” Harvey answers, shaking his head, although of course Mike can’t see that. “He went into the light. It was his time. It was what he had to do. But I couldn’t. I felt like I had unfinished business here.”

Mike nodded solemnly. Before he could stifle it a yawn escaped him. To tell the truth you were feeling rather sleepy yourself.

“Am I boring you, rookie?” Harvey sounded more amused than annoyed. He grinned from ear to ear when Mike quickly shook his head, “No! Oh no, you’re never boring, Harvey!”

“Good to know. Now, go to sleep now, both of you. I’ll be here, watching over you,“ he said in a soft, hushed voice.

“Don’t wanna sleep. 'Fraid you won’t be here when I wake up.” Mike pouted like a small child being sent to bed on Christmas Eve.

“I’ll be here, kid. Even if neither of you can hear or see or feel me again in the morning, I’ll be here.”

“It’s not the same,” Mike whined.

“I know, but it’s all I can promise right now. I still don’t know what was so special about tonight that you both started being more aware of me.”

“Maybe because our lives were in danger,” Mike speculated.

“Maybe. But right now you’re both in danger of falling asleep mid-sentence so just give in to it and get some rest.”

“Harvey, stay with me. Let me feel your arms around me again.”

You watched as Harvey stretched out behind Mike, pulling him close once they were both settled, spooning him.

“'Night, Harvey. I love you. Please try to be here in the morning.”

“Good night, Mike. I love you too. I’ll do my best.”

“'Night, Plum!”, they both said in unison once again and you smiled. 

"'Night, John Boy!” They both laughed, a good sound, one you knew would stay with you forever.

And somewhere in the night Mike awoke to find the room bathed in a bright, beautiful light and turned to find those eyes he had missed so much visible before him once again and they both knew why he’d been allowed to sense Harvey’s presence that night, why you both had. 

His heart, so heavy all these years, but always at everyone else’s disposal, had finally given up on him. It was his time to go, and Harvey’s too, and they had both been granted one more night with you.

Before they walked into the light together, holding hands, both looking just as they had on their wedding day, they went to you and placed soft kisses on your temple. 

Harvey said, “Will she be all right, do you think? Without either of us here with her?“

“Haven’t you learned anything about our granddaughter watching over us all these years? She is one tough plum.”

“Damn skippy.”

“Besides, we’ll always be with her, Harvey.”

And you awoke in the morning to discover both your Gramps now gone. You were sad, of course, but something else too. Hopeful. Joyful even. Knowing they were together again at last, no longer lost, no longer lonely. You knew you'd see them again one day. And that was enough for you.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so, okay, hi, I finally did a thing. Gulp. This started out as a quick ficlet I rattled off in response to something writingtoreachyou said in conversation on tumblr which sparked the idea in me. It was also a way to avoid writing another fic I was having trouble with (avoidance, thy name is novemberhush). I was trying to write something for the Marvey Fic Challenge #51 Supernatural prompt and as writingtoreachyou and Sairyn both pointed out, this fit the bill. So with their encouragement I expanded on it and hey presto. I'm gifting it to them both for all their love and support, a late birthday present for Sairyn and an early one for writingtoreachyou, who is actually the inspiration for Dani. Imagine what I'd give you if I didn't like you! Anyway, it's angsty and sentimental, just like me. And I did the one thing I was sure I'd never do. What's that old creed? Kill your darlings? Yeah, that. Sorry. Believe me, it hurt me more than anyone. Okay, I'm rambling. Sadly I can't claim Mike and Harvey as my own, but I hope you enjoy it and if you want to come say hi on tumblr, well, that'd be lovely. I'm novemberhush on there too. Okay, bye! (Runs and hides.)


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